"Mr. Gaskarth?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows.

"Exactly." The principal said.

"What kind of name is that?" I asked laughing.

"I could ask you the same thing, Barakat." A new voice came from behind me. I gulped, knowing exactly who it was.

" 'M sorry Mr. Gaskarth." I muttered.

"It's fine. It get that all the time." I smiled and shakily held my hand out for him to shake.

Mr. Gaskarths hand slid in with mine and shook it softly.

"Well, Jack. Why don't you grab your backpack and come with me so we can get this day started." Said Mr. Gaskarth.

"Watch him. He's really stubborn. He'll try to learn everything on his own and won't ask for help." My mom said and I scoffed.

"I can hear you, mother dearest!" I said loudly.

Mr. Gaskarth laughed. "I got him."

"Do you need your cane?" My mom asked.

"I don't know, do I?" I asked, directing it to my teacher.

"Well, he's not going to be walking around alone. He'll either be with me, or one one of my trustworthy students.

"Okay, well have a good day, sweetie." My mom cooed, gently hugging me.

"I will, mommy." I said, gently kissing her cheek like I always did.

"Let's go, Jack." My teacher said, putting his hand on the small of my back. I shivered and gently shoved him away.

"I'm perfectly capible of getting there without you leading me. Just keep talking and stay close to a wall so I can feel." I said.

"Got it." Mr. Gaskarth said, pulling his arm away and continued talking but asking me questions.

"How long have you been blind?" He asks.

"Since I was like 3. So about 14 years." I explained, letting my hands roam around the gravely walls.

"May I ask how?" He asked, and I heard him itch his beard, hearing the loud scratch on the rough hairs.

"I've always had bad eyesight. One day I woke up and everything was a huge blur and it's forever been like that. Somedays I can see objects moving around and others all I see is black. I usually keep on black shades cause it creeps me out." I explained, fingers weaving in and out of the crevises on the wall.

"What colors are the walls?" I ask curiously.

"The part where your hand is, is purple. Just above it is white." I nodded pulling my hand back to my side.

"How do you know the colors?"

"I learned colors before I was blind, Mr. Gaskarth. I'm not completely worthless." I said quietly.

"Hey now, you're not worthless."

"Yeah, right." I said as we came to a stop.

"This is my class." He said and I nodded, reaching out and stuck my hand on the name tag on the door reading the braille.

"English. My favorite." I said smiling, and I swore I sensed a smile from the teacher.

"Well do you want to introduce yourself to the class?" He asked before opening the door. I nodded and we walked in.

"Class, this is Jack. Jack, say a little bit about yourself."

"Hey, um... My name is Jack, I play the guitar, my favorite band is Blink-182 and Green Day, and I'm blind, obviously." I said while laughing.

"How can you play guitar if you're blind?" A girl asked.

"I can do anything y'all can do. It just sometimes takes me longer. I took lessons."" I explained and heard a few "ahhhhhh's"

"Jack you're sitting next to Rian, Rian say 'here'." Mr. Gaskarth said while shuffling papers.

"Right here." I heard a sweet voice call out and I followed it, feeling an empty desk.

I sat and played with my hands while my teacher explained what we were doing today.

"Here you go." Rian said and I felt a packet in my hands. I felt it and it was braille. I smiled when it read that it was "Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven."

"Does anybody want to read for us?" Mr. Gaskarth said once everybody had their papers.

I shakely held my hand up and heard a few gasps from the students.

"Go on." Said Mr. Gaskarth and I nodded.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
" 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;
Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore,.
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,
Nameless here forevermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me---filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
" 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.
This it is, and nothing more."

I smiled, feeling eyes on me when I neared the end of the poem. It was long, so I was partially out of breath but this was my passion.

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting--
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! -- quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted---nevermore!

I smiled brightly when I finished, fingers tingling from the rough bumps.

"That was great, Jack. Good job." Mr. Gaskarth praised while clapping.

"Thanks." I muttered as the bell rang.

"Jack, Rian, and Zack stay behind please." Our teacher said while everyone packed up and left the room.

When every one left, I felt a few pressenses by me.

"Jack, this is Rian as you already know." I nodded and stuck out my hand.

"Can I?" I asked, motioning my hands up and down.

"Sure?" RIan said, not fully understanding what I was talking about.

I ran my hands up and down his arms, feeling his hair which was buzzed almost completely off, and his hands, rough and calloused. I nodded and did the same to Zack once I met him.

"Great! Now Jack, Rian and Zack have every class with you so you can walk with them if you want." Our teacher explained and I nodded.

"Well let's go to lunch." Rian said and we all walked out the door.

Notes

Oh god, Idk I'm just super excited for this.

Leave comments you beautiful people.